The Tomboy Sessions is a live music video series made in Santa Cruz, California. The series features handcrafted Americana and roots music performed by touring and local bands. Videos are shot in Tomboy, a unique and intimate vintage Western store, during normal business hours. Bands record two songs per session.

Mischa Gasch, owner of entertainment agency TourMore, started the Tomboy Sessions in the spring of 2016 to bring national attention to the Santa Cruz music scene and give renowned bands one more good reason to make sure Santa Cruz is on their tour schedule. Gasch told us they chose Willie Tea Taylor to participate because,“He’s such a great artist and has lots of friends and fans here in Santa Cruz. He plays a handful of shows every year down here and people love his honest and handcrafted music. He fits perfect for our Tomboy Session Music Video series!”

Willy Tea Taylor began pursuing music at the age of 18 when a set by Greg Brown at the Strawberry Music Festival inspired him. Taylor comes from a long line of cattlemen and he grew up and still resides in the “Cowboy Capital of the World” Oakdale, California. A founding member (and frontman) of The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit, Taylor has two solo albums under his belt, 4 Strings (2011) and Knuckleball Prime (2015).

I first caught Willy Tea Taylor at a Grand Ole Echo show in Los Angeles in 2015. I had never heard of the artist and when I caught his set I was mesmerized. A poet and storyteller, Taylor’s heartfelt lyrics are backed by solid musicianship and warm, melodic vocals.

His last album, Knuckleball Prime was produced in Nashville by Michael Witcher (Dwight Yoakam, Dolly Parton) and included stellar musicians; Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Gabe Witcher and Noam Pikelny of The Punch Brothers, Sara Watkins, Andrew Combs, and pedal steel guitarist Greg Liesz among others.

Taylor has been keeping busy by spending time on the road since the album released sharing a tour with pop musician, Brett Dennen and playing shows alongside Jaime Wyatt, Moonsville Collective, and Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen. In July he announced that he is partnering with Out on the Rise booking agency and will be touring the Scandinavian countries later this year and the rest of Europe in 2018.

After growing listening to Dolly, Merle and Willie, Kim Grant spent the 90’s immersed in the Chicago indie rock scene. Spending many nights at the famed (now-defunct) venue Lounge Ax, bands like Bad Livers, Giant Sand, Handsome Family, Palace Brothers and Wilco turned her on to what was then called Alt-Country. After moving to Los Angeles in 2000, she found this same feeling of musical community at a tiny west side bar called The Cinema Bar where she met artists, Mike Stinson, Randy Weeks, Tony Gilkyson, Ramsay Midwood, and Kip Boardman. These talented folks spurred her enthusiasm for the Southern California roots music scene and the Americana music scene as a whole. Now a music publicist, Grant (alongside Liz Garo and Pam Moore) founded the Los Angeles, weekly roots music series, The Grand Ole Echo in 2005. Also with Garo, Grant helped to curate the Roots Roadhouse American-roots music festival in both 2011 and 2012. Also in 2011 she began co-producing a SXSW day party with Julie Richmond titled, Grand Ole Austin which is still going strong. Visit TJ West on fb and kgmusicpress.com.